Houston Rockets (43-27) beat Miami Heat (38-33) 123-122 at home on Saturday, March 21, after falling far behind. The Rockets were down 9 at one quarter break and still finished 1 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Rockets had the better start, winning the first 32-29 to lead by 3 after one. The Heat cut into the deficit with a 34-32 second quarter, though the Rockets still led by 1 at halftime.
The Heat won the third 33-23 to turn the game around, taking a 9-point lead into the fourth. The Rockets took the fourth 36-26; the Rockets completed the comeback for a 123-122 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Rockets made 19.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 13 for the Heat. The Rockets grabbed 30.2% of their own misses, while the Heat recovered 26.2%. In a 1-point game, the points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Heat did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 9.3 against 13.6. The Rockets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 96 possessions per team, the Rockets produced 127.9 points per 100 possessions to 126.9 for the Heat.
Who carried the comeback
Bam Adebayo was the game's biggest individual force for MIA: 32 pts, 21 reb, 4 ast on 12-21 shooting. His Game Score of 31.8 led everyone. His team was +5 with him on the floor.
Reed Sheppard led the Rockets with 23 pts, 2 reb, 14 ast, 4 stl on 8-12 shooting, good for a 31 Game Score.
Alperen Sengun (19 pts, 12 reb, 3 ast), Reed Sheppard (23 pts, 2 reb, 14 ast), and Amen Thompson (24 pts, 18 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Rockets about a 66% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Miami Heat lead 2-1.
The Rockets are now 43-27, and the Heat are 38-33. The Rockets last five before this game: L-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.